I have a love/hate with this audiobook.

What I loved:
-The story. Lauren Kung Jessen writes fabulous books. They make me happy.
-The narrators when they were playing Rooney and Jack. Their voices were SO good. I could have listened to their banter for the whole book.

What I hated:
-When the narrators played other people. I don't know if it was a directing choice or if these two narrators are just not equipped to do more than one voice. The other voices kept breaking me out of the story. At one point, when I thought Rooney's mother would be a more significant player in the book, I almost DNF'd it. I'm really glad I didn't.

I'm glad I stuck with it. I will not listen to this again like I do a lot of romances I like. Read it? Yes, Iwould. But those voices are terrible. If I were rating on voices alone, it would be two stars, but factoring the story bumps it to a four.

Red String Theory was a great book that talked about lots of Chinese traditions and beliefs. It was interesting to see what they believe. However, the book fell short for me. I felt that it was drawn out a lot and not super exciting.

This was an utterly delightful read filled with charming banter that kept me thoroughly engaged. It beautifully employs the classic trope of fated lovers, as hinted at by the title. I found myself thoroughly immersed in the story and appreciated how well the pacing translated to audiobook format, enhancing my overall enjoyment of the experience.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

3 stars for the book itself
4 stars for the narration

I had a hard time connecting with this book. Rooney was so fixated on the idea of fate that she didn’t really take accountability for anything in her life. At times it felt like she just wanted something to complain about instead of actually just working for what she wanted. Jack was the complete opposite. He didn’t believe in fate at all but he still also felt like he wasn’t really taking ownership of his life. He complained about being passed over for promotions but didn’t take any of the critiques seriously until Rooney made him.
These just felt like two incredible incompatible people with very different views of life and I have a hard time believing that they work out.

I enjoyed the narration of the main characters. I liked that it switched between narrators when there was dialogue- I hate when the authors do the voices of the other mc when there’s two narrators. I wasn’t a huge fan of the narration of the side characters though. I thought they were all so annoying and honestly kind of grating.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for this ALC!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved that the romance had an element of science, space, and Chinese mythology. The audiobook definitely enhanced the reading experience. I love an audiobook with 2 different narrators in a romance book! Rooney and Jack had real hurdles to work through and discussed issues like adults. Lauren Kung Jessen wonderfully weaved elements of science with whimsical elements of faith without having one mock the other. Chinese culture was weaved into the story but not so heavy handed that someone outside of the culture would feel confused or alienated against reading it.

Short synopsis: Rooney and Jack meet in New York and spend a magical evening exploring the city, but when she doesn’t save his number right in her phone Rooney thinks she’ll never see him again. Until he hired RSG (red string girl) to do an art exhibit for NASA.

My thoughts: The premise of this was so cute, the meet cute was adorable and the night they spent in the city , and the second chance aspect was fun too. I liked how they connected, and their slow but steady growth.

I really liked the art aspect and Jack and Rooneys desire to better understand each other and their interests.

I felt like the middle moved a bit too slow for my taste, and I liked when Rooney finally wore something besides Red knitted clothing (it was referred to far too often).

The audio of this as perfection. I loved how the narrators told both parts of the story, it really brought a whole new element to the story.

Read if you love:
-Fate
-serendipity
-STEM/NASA
-Art

This books follows Rooney, an artist who creates pieces out of red string based on her belief in fate and the red string theory, and Jack, a scientist at NASA. When the two run into each other in New York City, they immediately click. The main issue? He’s only there for the day and will return to California the following day. After a day spent together, Rooney is convinced that fate brought them together, but Jack doesn’t believe in fate.

This book was so so sweet and I loved the exploration fate and the red string theory. I had never heard of the theory before and found it so captivating and romantic. I loved the exploration of fate, science, and art.

As someone who is an engineer, I often find the representation of engineer in books to be cringey. This was done extremely well, though and I often saw a lot of myself in Jack.

Some of the more intimate scenes in this book didn’t quite hit for me, though. I much preferred the scenes where they were exploring NASA and NYC to the scenes where they were together or expressing their feelings for each other.

Jack’s grandpa was truly one of my favorite characters in the book and I wish we got more of him. He was such a delightful and refreshing character.

The narration in the book was done incredibly well, too. It really made the story come to life and each character was easily recognizable.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it widely. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC of this book!

I started this book and my attention waned a little bit, but I loved the concept so I'm glad I waited a week or two to be in the right mood for it because I really REALLY enjoyed this story. The idea of fate and the red string was interesting, the characters were great, and the chemistry between the two main characters was sweet and swoony. I loved the setting, the work environment, the sciencey and space bits, and the ending. SUCH a cute story.

Really enjoyed the story, and the audio of this book was very good. I really liked hearing the characters from the narrators voice, and it was a different type of enjoyment.

I learnt soo much about string theory from this book. I was really cute and informative. I loved how the Rooney and Jack really complemented each other and how their feelings grew out of mutual respect and wanting to help each other succeed. It was very much a meet cute and an opposites attract kind of situation. Eventho I haven’t read Lunar Love yet I loved the cameo/tie in.

Thank you @readforever and netgalley for an alc.

This was my first audiobook experience and it absolutely did not disappoint. Serendipity is one of my favorite romance movies, and the concept of star crossed lovers drew me in immediately. Lauren Kung Jessen’s work is something I hold very close to my heart because it always brings on a sense of nostalgia and really teaches what love can look like when given the opportunity to shine ❤️

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I absolutely loved the duet narration and hope to listen to more audiobooks in this style. The overall pacing of the book was okay. I did find it to be a little slow in the beginning, but it did pick up about halfway in. I really appreciated the chance to learn a little more about Red Sting Theory that this book offered. I can’t wait to see what Lauren Kung Jessen writes next!

2/5 Stars

Thank you to Hatchette Audio and Forever for providing me with an arc to read.

I enjoyed this book but I also know it won’t stand out in my mind compared to other romance books I’ve read. I really loved the cultural aspects of this with fate being heavily discussed and some other things. This was a fun concept and I think it is a solid read and many will enjoy it.

Rooney believes in fate, so much that she has based her entire artist career off it. Most of all she believes in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their own true love by a red string of fate. But when fate leads her to Jack, he’s perfect, smart, handsome, charming and successful. But after a wonderful night, somehow the number he shared with her was wrong accidentally and can’t find a way to reach him. When life gives them a second chance though they have to fight to not let their feelings affect their work and decided whether they believe in fate or not…

I liked Rooney and Jack together but at the same point I didn’t feel the chemistry as much as I have with other books. I didn’t believe their I love yous which is rare for me. I felt like it was more of platonic “I Love You” than a romantic one which in a romance is an issue.

I enjoyed both the narrators and they are the reason I finished this book. They kept me engaged and made it pleasant.

I do think a lot will enjoy this but as an avid romance reader it wasn’t for me and I recognize that.

Red String Theory was such a sweet and loving story that I all wanted to do was give it a big ol’ hug. I especially loved the cultural aspects and the drool-worthy food descriptions. Rooney and Jack were equally loveable and their witty banter was so enjoyable to hear. They balanced each other between Rooney’s belief of fate and Jack’s logical mind. Also, having a part of the story take place at NASA was so cool! I loved the descriptions and the background of Rooney’s art in tandem with Jack’s intelligent explanations for the non-astronauts about Mars made me want to revisit the art museum and also the science centre and have more of an appreciation for what I’m seeing and experiencing.

This book was absolutely adorable! Even though there was no spice the chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts!

Even though the characters were complete opposites they worked extremely well together. I guess you can say opposites do attract and work for this couple! Can I also just sAy how much I loved their communication skills with eachother. Everything about this book just gave me the feel goods.

The dual narration was fantastic!

Thank you so much to Hachette Audio & Forever for the complimentary audio!

I had never heard of the red string theory until this book and the concept of it is wild!!! And I really want to know how many individuals are set on this theory to find their love connection.

I thought this was such a unique story and I'm not sure how NASA and artist go together. Not so much in the individuals themselves but bringing together their jobs but for whatever reason it worked and it brought Rooney and Jack together. I love following them through their first meeting and essentially date in New York City. I thought they had such great chemistry during this and I could feel their attraction when they were able to reconnect in California. Even with things being predictable I still was interested in their story and their back and forth proving that they were in fact brought together by fate.

Rooney's relationship with her mother was beautiful. I love how close they were and how much Rooney admires her mom. I love that she wants to make it in the art world without her mom's help.

I thought both narrators Yu-Li Alice Shen and Andrew Grace did a great job with their characters! I thought the narration was so creative and both narrators would talk back and forth in conversation. I hope this becomes a new trend when we have dual POVs with dual narration. It just really adds that extra element to the listening.

I really enjoyed this and can't wait to go back to read Lunar Love!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC! This was such a sweet story - I loved the Red String Theory (the belief in fate and "string mates") and found the love story between Rooney and Jack very compelling. The juxtaposition of fate and choice, as emboldened by the two main characters' beliefs was interesting, their chemistry and repeated fated or chance run-ins (based on how you look at it) kept the story fresh. I would have loved a little steam as the chemistry between the characters was excellent, but the fact that this is a closed-door romance takes nothing away from the story. The inclusion of art was fun, I loved how Rooney became inspired by her love for Jack. This was a cute, sweet romance that felt like a fresh take on a classic rom-com. 3.5 stars!

I enjoyed this book so much. I loved seeing the way Rooney and Jack’s paths continued to cross and the way they navigated their working relationship. I also love that while at first glance this book may seem to be about fate, it’s also very much about choice. Yes, life keeps bringing Rooney and Jack together, but they also have to choose each other and I loved seeing them both come to that realization.

The audio listening experience was great and I always love a good dual narration.

Thank you so much Forever for my ALC! I loved the audio and the narrators who truly brought Rooney and Jack to life!

Artist Rooney was raised by her famous artist mother and wants to be established on her own. Believing that her red string person (aka her soulmate)will eventually find her, she serendipitously meets Jack who is in town for his work with NASA. They spend hours together exploring the city and crushing on each other but are separated the next day.
Months later, Rooney has been selected by NASA to bring to their latest mission to the masses in artistic form. Jack and Rooney are stunned but thrilled to be together again. They grow in their feelings and Rooney believe Jack is her red string partner while Jack expresses doubt. Each need to trust that the universe will bring them together if they are meant to be.

Read if you love:
-the movie Serendipity
-themes of fate vs science
-grumpy/sunshine trope
-Asian American rep

I loved Rooney! Her sense of style mixed with her relaxed attitude and fierce love of her tribe of loved one made her such an endearing character